Glass Tower 2
by Iggy Lovechild
Summary: A collection of short, word prompt inspired stories. Primarily Shinra/Turks-centric with varying degrees of content, including references to Renoru. In other words, a bit slashy, so consider this the first of many warnings.
1. Chapter 1

**Intro**

A few years ago, I was working with my beta reader on word prompt challenges on my blog. Eventually I compiled all those stories into one volume, if you will.

These are not them.

Bored and frustrated with my inability to finish any longer projects, I recently generated my own set of words to work with. Though most of these projects are supposed to be 100-word drabbles, I am entirely too verbose for such limitations. However, most of these stories are very short.

Regarding content, it is entirely Shinra/Turks-centric, with strong reference to my much beloved pairing, Rufus/Reno. Naturally, there will be notes and warnings accompanying each fic.

I am still working on this project, and will try to update as often as I can.

Thanks for reading and enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or situations in these stories. Pleasure, not money is my only motivation.

**rating: **PG

**characters: **Rufus Shinra

**pairings: **none

**a/n: A perpetuation of my badass!Rufus fanon. Mostly just a character study.**

**[FIC: word prompt #12 misled]**

The funny thing about Rufus Shinra is that his slick public face was pretty much a giant pack of lies. He was not a party boy; he was not terribly concerned with fashion, socialites, or flashy status symbols. Certainly, he was used to the finer things in life but didn't feel the need to overtly broadcast his wealth.

Rufus was a very dangerous man. At the age of 16, he'd undergone training as a Turk. Though not officially part of the department, he was every bit as deadly as one of its agents. In his spare time he studied videos and books on ancient dictators and their kingdoms. He learned about human psychology and how to manipulate it. Ironically, he was poorly socialized, but status and his quick wit made him popular among his peers. No one cared that his smiles never quite reached his eyes or that he rarely socialized when cameras weren't rolling.

Rufus did not do these things for his father, though admittedly playing his part made the man less intrusive into his affairs. He wanted the public to underestimate him for now. In time they would know the man behind his carefully manicured mask. Until then, he sought out strings to pull and learned everything he could about the company he would once day inherit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rating: **light R, for brief sexual daydreaming and some strong language

**characters: **Reno, Rufus

**pairing: **slight Renoru

**[FIC: word prompt #14 glowering]**

Reno was late, had a hangover kicking the shit out of him, and knew he must reek of booze and stale sweat. Tseng would be pissed, but fuck, it had become a tradition between him and Rude to get tore up after a dangerous mission.

His long legs pumped as he took the stairs two at a time, pushed through the Shinra Building's huge glass doors, and sprinted toward the elevator. It was open, and he saw a man in white and black entering it.

"Hold it, man!" Reno shouted.

The doors were starting to close and Reno cursed softly. Fucking executives were always such self-absorbed pricks. Yet, it opened back up just as Reno got to the elevator. He crossed the threshold with a grin.

"Hey thanks, yo..." Any other words died on his lips as he encountered icy blue eyes glowering at him.

His mouth dried up in a mingling of lust and fear. He was face to face with Rufus fucking Shinra, and he was hotter than any picture or surveillance video image could have conveyed.

"Ah, sorry," Reno told him with a sheepish grin.

Rufus just sniffed and swiped his ID card to access the upper floors. He pressed the button for floor 66 and gave Reno a quick once over.

"69?" He queried in a calm voice that didn't quite match the intensity of his expression.

Reno blinked, his lust addled mind instantly bringing up the mental image of the two of them locked in a sweaty embrace and eagerly sucking each other off. "Um...yes?" He replied.

A devious smirk crossed Rufus's lips. "You _are_ a Turk, right?"

Realization dawned on Reno as Rufus pushed the button for the 69th flood. He swore inwardly.

"Yeah, I am."

"How unfortunate that we meet under such circumstances," Rufus said in a smooth, urbane tone. He oozed money and power. Reno was a bit surprised by the danger radiating off him, too. Not the same danger as his father. The President was a politician, but there was something predatory in his son's gaze that had nothing to do with corporate take overs or slick public maneuvers. Reno felt a chill go up his spine and his once dry mouth began to water with a renewed sense of lust.

"What's your name?" Rufus asked.

"Reno."

The elevator dinged for the 65th floor. He needed to say something clever quick. Damn, he'd never been so tongue tied over another person in his life.

"I've heard of you," Rufus told him as his lips curled into a positively evil grin.

"Whatever you've heard, it's all true," Reno replied with a wicked grin of his own.

"I hope so," Rufus replied as the elevator stopped at his floor. He held out his hand to Reno and the young Turk took it without a second thought. Rufus had a good, strong handshake. Their eyes met and while Rufus's still glowered into Reno's, aggravation had been replaced with hunger.

"We'll see each other again," Rufus promised in a voice gone husky with clear desire.

"Can't wait," Reno chuckled.

Rufus extricated his hand from Reno's a bit slower than was necessary, caught the doors before they closed entirely and strode away on long legs that Reno knew would feel amazing wrapped around his waist.

Reno leaned against the elevator's wall and couldn't keep the grin off his face. The most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on seemed pretty intent on seducing him, and there was no way the rest of this day could go wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Characters: **Rufus, his old man

**pairings: **None, aside from a very vague reference to Renoru, I mean sort of and I guess only if you know me as an FF7 writer.

**rating:** PG

**a/n: **I've always wanted to try to show the seeds and roots of Rufus's resentment toward his father. Judging from the fact that Rufus isn't seen once until his father is dead and yet all the characters know him by name and a lot of rumours about him, Rufus must be at least an occasional figure of authority and public figure. I think sometimes he gets sent away if he challenges his father too much. I think the old man would rather him not be so ambitious and is unnerved by his harsher thought processes.

**[FIC: word prompt #3 overreacted]**

His father sighed heavily and poured a healthy amount of liqueur into a tumbler full of ice. Rufus was nearly shaking with anger as he watched his expression and body language. He thought this conversation was tedious.

"You are acting like a child," he told Rufus bluntly.

"I fail to see my concern with the company as a sign of immaturity," Rufus retorted sharply.

The old man glared at him as he brought the glass to his lips. "How I run my company is not really your concern. When you are in charge you can mete out department funding however you wish."

Rufus gritted his teeth at yet another harsh reminder that his title of vice-president was little more than a vanity. Time and again his father turned down suggestions for company projects, department funding, and that was only if he was invited to attend a meeting.

"The science department's funding is already bloated beyond belief, never mind the fact that I think you give that mad man far to free a reign!"

"Come now, Rufus. You're overreacting. Hojo is eccentric but hardly insane."

He scoffed softly and crossed his arms. "Need I remind you of the Nibelheim incident or perhaps the mysterious circumstances of Vincent Valentine's disappearance?"

"Hojo can hardly be blamed for Sephiroth's psychotic break," his father told him dismissively. "The military psychiatrist that managed to overlook the warning signs, were there any to find, has since been replaced. In addition there is nothing mysterious about Valentine's disappearance. He tried to attack Hojo in a fit of jealousy and Hojo acted in self defense. Dr. Crescent corroborated the story."

Rufus shook his head at his father's foolishness. Either he was in complete denial or was more concerned with the successes of Hojo's biogenetic research. Rufus tended to think it was little bit of both.

"What about those two young men who escaped the lab beneath Shinra Manor?" Rufus demanded.

"I authorized that research. There was nothing that could have been done. I suppose in retrospect we should have executed Mr. Fair straight away, but the situation has been handled. Both men are dead. You can read the field reports if you wish."

"I have, and the other man is unaccounted for."

His father slammed down his glass. "He was suffering from severe mako poisoning! Witnesses confirmed that he was in a state of catatonia. He was left in the wasteland with Zack's body and surely died of exposure. Do you think me a complete idiot, Rufus?"

"Though unusual, it has been proven some people have overcome mako poisoning," Rufus pointed out, hating how sullen he sounded.

"Enough of this," the old man snapped. "Clearly you have too much time on your hands. You will return to your post at Junon and that is where you will stay unless ordered otherwise. Is that understood?"

Rufus bit his tongue. It was absolutely not understood, but if he pushed the issue any harder, he'd end up under house arrest with round the clock surveillance. If nothing else, the old man was paranoid and perhaps more than just a little intimidated by his close relationship with the Department of Administrative Research and its dangerous men and women.

"Fine," Rufus grated.

"Excellent," his father smiled unpleasantly, "You will return to your penthouse and pack. I'll be personally handling the assignment of your bodyguard, so don't bother asking Tseng to lend you Reno. I wouldn't want you...distracted from your duties."

Rufus sneered at him before turning to leave, not even bothering to disguise his hatred. In his wake, he swore he could hear the old man chuckling.


	5. Chapter 5

**characters: **Rufus, Reno

**pairings: **Renoru

**rating: **R, for somewhat graphic reference to a sexual act

**warnings: **Seriously, gets a bit smutty

**a/n: **This is actually a rework of an old request fic. I always liked its basic elements, but the prose was bogged down by a lot of bullshit and hack writing. Gave it a facelift.

**[FIC: word prompt #16 gratifying]**

President Shinra's corpse was barely a few hours cold and time was of the essence. Bodies needed to be tallied and the Shinra building was put on lockdown. Heavy internal security was implemented until order could be reestablished.

When Rufus Shinra got the call, his father's body had just been discovered. Rufus shed no tears and felt more joy than any kind of regret. His only regret was that it had taken so goddamned long to happen.

A company helicopter ferried Rufus to Midgar. Time moved meaninglessly forward as it was lost to the deafening roar of the propeller. When Reno climbed into his lap and kissed him like the world was ending, Rufus's concept of time was entirely obliterated. Rufus groaned and tangled his fingers in Reno's hair. He slid a hand beneath Reno's shirt and enjoyed the soft skin beneath his teasing fingertips. Rufus wished that they had a little more privacy.

Reno's hands flew to Rufus's belt and began to deftly unbuckle it. His smirking lips murmured against Rufus's mouth."I can't believe we've been talking about this for years, and you finally come to power at a time like this."

Rufus chuckled,"Never a dull moment."

"Wouldn't have it any other way,"

He dropped his eyes almost coyly as he unbuttoned and unzipped Rufus's fly. Rufus watched his lover sink to his knees before him. His fingers sank into Reno's wild hair, and he sighed softly as he felt the Turk's hot mouth engulf his cock. Rufus closed his eyes as he enjoyed being pleasured so skillfully.

He felt like laughing out loud due to the pure, sheer happiness he was feeling. His father was dead and all his ambitions would finally come to fruition. All in all, this was turning out to be the best night of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**pairing: **Heavy Renoru implication

**rating: **PG

**warning:** fluff

**[FIC: word prompt #18 infatuate]**

They stood alone in the parked elevator. Rufus glanced at him and frowned.

"Is there something wrong?"

Rude inhaled deeply. God this was hard. "It's about Reno."

Damned if the man's eyes didn't light up at the mention of his partner's name. It made this a little easier, but not much.

"He ain't playing around with you," Rude stated bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Rufus replied. "I'm not sure I follow." His expression was bland.

Rude uttered a soft curse under his breath. Why had he even considered doing this? He forged ahead despite his embarrassment.

"Reno likes you a lot and I want to be sure you're not jerking him around." Though he was straight to the point, he was cringing on the inside. This was utterly surreal. He cursed Reno viciously in the back of his mind. Of all the people for the redhead to fall head-over-heels for, why the fuck did it have to be the president's son?

Much to Rude's surprise, Rufus smiled brightly and laughed. "Good! That is indeed good to hear, and let me make it clear that I am by no means toying with Reno. The feeling is mutual."

Rude grunted softly and keyed in the floor they were going to. They shared the car in silence until it approached their destination. Rude cleared his throat. Rufus tilted his head, conveying his reception without words.

"Don't tell Reno 'bout this little conversation," Rude said a touch imploringly. "I'd never hear the fucking end of it."

Rufus chuckled faintly. "I can imagine. You have my word."

"Thanks."


	7. Chapter 7

**characters: **Turks, Rufus

**pairings: **Renoru, though not real graphic aside from you know...emotionally... I mean whatever. Point is they're considered long term lovers in this fic.

**rating: **PG-13, for some language and angst

**a/n: **Inspired by AC Complete's showing the fact that Rufus was not one bit chair-ridden, as not only could he stand but walk as well. Yet the scene showing him wheelchair bound in the healing rain was retained. Trying to fill in a gap here, don't mind me. Excuse me, I guess I should just fess up to Renoru being ever present in my stories at this point, huh?

**[FIC: word prompt #19 darkened]**

As the helicopter touched down atop a nondescript building on the edge of old Midgar, the sky darkened to pitch black. Reno frowned as he shoved aside the door to the cabin and stuck his head out to get a better look.

"Shit," He swore sharply. "Hell of a time for it to rain."

Elena grabbed at his shoulder as the chopper wasn't yet completely docked. "Hang on, will you? Haven't you had enough brushes with death today?"

Reno chuckled as he ducked back inside and shut the cabin back up. As far as he was concerned, death defying was in the job description. When they could safely disembark, Reno was the first out. He strolled to the edge of the roof to get a better look as he lit up a smoke.

The clouds were thick and swirling violently. They filled him with a familiar dread. It was as though...

Reno's eyes widened in horror as the first few cyclones touched down in the center of Edge. He tossed down his cigarette and stomped it out before sprinting toward stairs that lead into the building.

"Where are you going?" Tseng shouted after him.

"I gotta check on Rufus!" Reno called over his shoulder. His heart pounded and his mind raced with the concerns of a lover more than that of an employee.

The building had been built last year and was most frequently used as a safe house for Shinra employees traveling from out of town. Tseng and Elena had stashed Rufus in one of its apartments before coming to back them up. He was halfway down the second flight of stairs when Reno realized he had no idea which one. Quickly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Rude.

"Oi, put Tseng on," He snapped in lieu of greeting.

There was a brief silence and then Tseng's voice in his ear. He sounded annoyed. "What on earth has gotten into you? The president is secure and you know as well as anyone else that he can take care of himself if necessary."

"I know," Reno bristled, "Just fucking trust me, alright? I got a bad feeling. What floor and apartment?"

Tseng sighed heavily but didn't complain. "He's on the 10th floor, apartment number 52J."

"Roger. Thanks," Reno breathed and ended the call. He was close. The brief time that it took to get there seemed like a small eternity.

When he found the apartment, he used a skeleton key designed to bypass most wards on a mechanical lock and burst through the door. Reno shouted Rufus's name and when he got no reply, he went from room to room. He found him in the bedroom, collapsed on his side.

Reno rushed over and turned him over to get a look if he sustained any injuries. The marks of his geostigma oozed black from a recent attack.

"Ru...?" Reno's throat constricted, making his voice thick and hoarse. "C'mon baby, show me ya know I'm here."

Rufus's eye lids fluttered and opened slightly. "Reno?"

"Yeah," He nodded and tried to smile. "What happened?"

"I...don't know," Rufus rasped, "What's going on?"

"Dunno. The sky just went black...like last time..." Reno trailed off, his tongue leaden on the word Meteor.

"Cloud," Rufus gasped as he tried to sit up, "Did he fail?"

Reno could only shake his head. "Wish I could give you a straight answer, but that guy's tough. He beat us, remember?"

Rufus smiled faintly but it was gone just as quick. In the next moment, the others joined them. Reno was relieved that they were all in one place, yet felt helpless that there was nothing more that they could do. He was pretty sure Kadaj had gotten his wish and Sephiroth had been reborn through him. Cloud had defeated him once before but he hadn't had the stigma back then, either.

For the first time in his life, Reno was terrified that he wouldn't see another day.


	8. Chapter 8

**characters: **Rude, Reno

**pairings: **none

**rating: **PG-13 for some language

**a/n: **Yeah, I gave Rude a proper name, mostly cos I can't imagine any parent naming their child "Rude". Seriously, when I first played the game, I figured his name was just a clever play on "Rudy". Also, it seems like there's a drinking age in the bigger cities that have a profound Shinra influence. A few times in Junon and other bars, the bartender tells Cloud that he looks too young to be drinking. I decided to go with the age of eighteen, since I believe it's the drinking age in most countries.

**[FIC: Word prompt #20: Foundation]**

He heard sounds upstairs when he walked into his apartment. Someone was listening to the radio and moving about, occasionally singing along to what was playing. Rude frowned, briefly wondering what kind of bullshit break-in this was before remembering he had been assigned a room mate.

He groaned softly. Rude wasn't antisocial, but he tended to keep to himself. He was less then thrilled but decided to make the best of it.

"I'm coming up," Rude shouted as he began to ascend the stairs.

In the bedroom on the second floor he found a ridiculously good-looking young man unpacking a tattered suitcase. He had bright red hair that off set his pale skin starkly and a slender build.

"Yo," He greeted Rude casually as he shoved socks into the top drawer of a dresser. "Name's Reno."

He had a weird accent, a sort of rough drawl. As Reno walked up to him, he noticed that he had tattoos on his face and bright blue eyes. He looked as exotic as his voice.

"I'm Rude." In fact his name was Rudolpho, but he hadn't used that name in years.

"That your name?" Reno asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Rude nodded.

"Cool. So what's fun to do around here?"

Rude just shrugged. "Not much."

Reno laughed, "Yeah. Kinda figured. They got bars, right?"

"You don't look old enough to me," Rude replied, eyeing him speculatively.

"Huh?" Reno appeared genuinely confused.

"Drinking age is 18," Rude told him gruffly. "You didn't know?"

Reno shrugged sheepishly. Rude wondered where he was from. When he's first laid eyes on him, he'd figured he was from one of the big cities. Now he wasn't so sure.

"You from the country or somethin'?"

Reno's eyes widened, and he laughed again, even harder than the first time. "Nah, man. I'm from Midgar, but not a lot of shit gets enforced in the slums."

Rude arched an eyebrow. He'd heard that Midgar's slums were rough and if even half of the rumours were true, Reno must be a lot tougher than he looked.

"I'll play it by ear, yo," Reno shrugged. "Wanna come with me?"

He almost turned him down, but there was something about Reno. Simply put, he looked like the kind of guy that attracted danger and not always by accident. Rude would feel bad if something happened to him and anyway, he seemed friendly and fun. He could use a night out.

"Alright," Rude grunted. "You should change first."

Reno looked down at his outfit, consisting of a black tank top and loose olive green pants. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"You represent Shinra now. At least put on a goddamned shirt."

"Alright, alright, unless ya want a free show, care to give me a little privacy?"

Rude shrugged and left without another word. He'd grown up in Costa del Sol, so nudity wasn't a big deal to him, but Rude didn't want to come off like he was flirting. Sighing softly, he waited for Reno to join him in the foyer and really hoped he wasn't making a mistake.


	9. Chapter 9

**characters: **Reno, Rude

**pairings: **look...odds are unless it says none or some other pairing, there's gonna be some Renoru reference somewhere.

**rating: **light R for strong language, one of my patented sparse action scenes, and some deep thoughts.

**a/n: **Somewhat inspired by the scene in AC Complete that features Reno being thoughtful (and looking damned good enough to eat). You know, just like I always said he was. Anyway, it was also inspired by listening to Covenant's Theremin for a week straight.

**[FIC: Word prompt #17 larcenous]**

Reno chased him up the nightclub's catwalk. He was young and fast, but Reno was betting fear spurned him on. The music throbbed through the building, a heavy, harsh electronic sound. The singer's voice sounded cold yet plaintive. Reno wished he didn't have to take him alive. The throbbing bass line would easier muffle the sound of a gunshot.

The earpiece buzzed to life in his left ear and Rude's voice crackled over the staticky signal. "Where the fuck are you?"

"Can't talk now. Got the target on the run," Reno panted slightly.

"Remember, we need those schematics he stole," Rude replied.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm gonna see if I can get him to the roof. No where for him to run, then zap him on low."

"Understood. I'll standby for back up."

Reno corralled him to the emergency exit. As he joined the chase up the stairs to the roof, he couldn't help shouting up after him. "C'mon man, I only wanna talk to ya."

"Fuck you!" The man called over his shoulder.

Reno grinned and slowed his ascent a little to conserve his energy. At this point, there was no real chance of losing him. They hit the night air within moments of each other and Reno strolled toward his mark.

"Ain't nowhere left to go," Reno drawled. "Just hand over what you stole and everything'll be cool."

"Yeah right," he snapped, "Like I'm gonna trust the word of a Shinra dog like you."

Reno sighed and shook his head. He moved faster toward the man, bringing up his EMR, and thumbing the voltage setting to low (though a bit higher than he'd originally intended to punish the prick's back talk). As Reno came into position, the mark pulled out a bright blue feather a brandished it in front of him.

"Back the fuck up," he snarled. "This is a bolt plume."

Reno scowled but stilled his approach. "So what now?"

The man grinned nastily. "Hit the deck."

With that he tossed down the feather. Reno swore sharply and sprinted back toward the entrance to the stairs. Behind him, there was a crack of lightning and the sound of shattering concrete.

Reno turned back after a moment to observe the damage. There was a small crater in the roof, but not too horrible. Once more his ear piece buzzed to life, much clearer in the open air.

"Target's down. He jumped. What the fuck happened up there? I thought you didn't have materia on you."

"He had a bolt plume," Reno replied. "Did he seriously jump?"

"Yeah," Rude grunted, "I'm checking out the body right now."

"He still alive?"

"Barely."

"Good."

Rude snorted, "You getting soft on me, Reno?"

"Nah," He chuckled as he made his way back to the stairs. "Guess it just kinda makes me sad when I'm dealing with these people. I mean what the fuck are they fighting for? Some legends and an idealist notion?"

"Who knows."

Reno groaned softly. "Fuck it. I'll meet you in the ally behind the club."

"Roger. See you soon."

Reno entered the stairwell feeling faintly uneasy. Perhaps because he'd seen it all close up in his youth. Angry anti-Shinra activists had pretty words about saving the planet and freeing Midgar from the clutches of the company's "iron fist", but beyond bringing it all down they had no greater plan. Maybe they were hurting the planet and maybe the company was corrupt, but they did a lot of good, too. Hell, they'd given him a chance. He'd been just a slum brat with a crazy ambition. Instead of putting a bullet between his eyes they trained and hired him into one of the company's most prestigious departments.

Reno sighed softly and pushed aside his troubling thoughts. There was no use pleasing some people, after all. He entered back into the nightclub and was assaulted by the heavy bass and flashing lights.

Reno smiled faintly and wondered if Rufus liked to dance.


	10. Chapter 10

**characters: **Tseng, references to Rufus and Reno

**pairings: **strongly implied Renoru

**rating: **PG

**[FIC: word prompt #2 ammunition]**

Tseng frowned as he watched them. He'd known for awhile, simply from being observant, but now they were being far too obvious. If they walked any closer together, they'd be holding hands; if they spoke any more intimately, they'd be kissing.

Personally, he didn't care. Rufus's private affairs were none of his concern, and despite his appearance, Reno was a professional above all. He was loyal to the Turks and loyal to Shinra. In a way, Tseng considered Reno's affection for Rufus an extension of that loyalty.

However, there was no telling how long the president would turn a blind eye to his son carrying on with such a high ranking employee. He didn't care that Rufus was homosexual, but he did care that his occasionally patricidal son was closely associated with one of the Turks. Certainly, their relationship was as innocent as any between two people so passionately in love, but just the same...it was best for the president to assume it was a casual affair. Men had needs, even workaholics in high places, and Tseng took great pains to depict it as such if ever the president expressed wariness.

Yet if they kept conducting themselves in public like a couple besotted teen-agers, Tseng would have to step in. Both would certainly be lectured on discretion in the near future, and if that didn't make a difference, more drastic measures would have to be taken.


End file.
